Coupler and terminal block



March 8, 1949.

Filed Feb.

O wl 25 26 //f/ f f R. S. THACKER COUPLER AND TERMINAL BLOCK INVENTo/Z QE), @MPH 5. TMC/Ee Patented Mar. 8, 1949 COUPLER AND TERMINAL BLOCK Ralph S. Thacker, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to James H. Cannon, Los Angeles, Calif'.

Application February 15, 1944, rSerial No. 522,411

2 Claims. 1

between, and many expedients have been proposed for accomplishing this purpose. It is a primary object of my invention to provide an improved type of coupler for the purpose of applying such pressure, with various modifications thereof, capable of maintaining the contact plugs of -an electrical system together in electrical contact, but adapted to permit the ready separation.

of the plugs if contact is desired to be broken.

Another object of my invention is to provide a terminal block adapted to receive and hold such a coupler as described above, the terminal block and the couplers being especially designed to cooperate so that the coupler is locked in the terminal block for reception of Contact plugs as desired.

A further object of my invention is to provide such Aa terminal block which may be adapted to receive a large number of such couplers to form a. bank there-of, and preferably to be provided With means for indicating visibly and readily the location of each of the couplers oi the bank.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a terminal block which is designed so that it may readily be assembled with other similar terminal blocks into a compact unit to provide as many of such couplers as may be desired for any particular installation, with means for securing the terminal blocks together in a novel fashion.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following specification and the drawing, which are for the purpose of illustration only, and in which:

Fig. 1 is an assembly View, partly in section, illustrating a preferred form of my terminal block having one form of my coupler mounted therein, and having the usual contact plugs in assembled position therein.

Figl 2 is a plan view, partly in section, showing the complete terminal block fragmentarily shown -in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the terminal block illustrated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating two of my terminal blocks assembled into a bank.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the assembly members used in the assembly illustrated in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional View of an alternative form of terminal block having an alternative form of coupler mounted therein.

Fig. 8 is an end View of the coupler shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a terminal block, similar to that shown in Fig, 1, having an alternative form of coupler mounted therein.

Fig. 10 is an end view of the coupler illustrated in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a terminal block, similar to that shown in Fig. 1, having an alternative form of coupler mounted therein.

Fig. 12 is an end View of the coupler illustrated in Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a terminal block, similar to that shown in Fig. 1, having an alternative form of coupler shown therein.

Fig. 14 is an end View of the coupler shown in Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional View of an alternative form of terminal block having an alternative form of coupler mounted therein.

Fig. 16 is an end View of the coupler shown in Fig. 15.

Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal block fragmentarily illustrated in Fig, 7.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a terminal yblock 20 having a bore 2l in which is received a coupler member 22, which in turn receives Yand is adapted -to hold electrical contact plugs 23 and 24 in assembled position therein. The contact plugs 23 and 211 are standard equipment in the art, and no claim of invention is made thereto herein. The Contact plugs 23 and 24 are identical in construction and interchangeable, each being provided with a socket 25 into which-an electrical wire is adapted to be soldered or otherwise secured, and having a cylindrical portion 215 of reduced size -to provide a shoulder 2l adapted to engage the end of the coupler 22, the portion .26 being provided at its outer end with an annular bulge 28 and with an outwardly extending semi-cylindrical contact element 29 having a central flat surface 30. As will be apparent, the contact plugs A23 and 24 are slipped into the coupler member 22 from opposite ends thereof so that the flat surfaces 30 of the plugs are in iace-to-face engagement and are so retained by the coupler member.

As illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the terminal block 20 is generally rectangular in shape in its preferred form and is preferably formed of an electrically insulating material having a plurality of the bores 2l formed in parallel spaced relation therein transverse to the length of the block. Each of the bores 2| is provided at each end with a oounterbore 32 and a counterbore 33, and the terminal `block 20 is provided on one side with longitudinally extending ribs 34 and 35 and on the other side with similar ribs 36 and 31, the upper faces of the ribs 34 `and 36 providing a top 38 for the terminal block, and the lower faces of the ribs 35 and 31 providing a bottom 39 therefor. Projecting above the top 38 and extending the length of the terminal block 20 is a key member 4l having inwardly bevelled sides 42 making an acute angle with the top 38, and projecting from the bottom 39 is a key member 43 of identical form having similar sides 44. The surface of the key member 4I is preferably, though not necessarily, provided in its upper surface with transverse semi-cylindrical grooves 43, and the surface of the key member 43 is similarly provided with transverse semi-cylindrical grooves 41. As will be noted from Fig. 3, the grooves 46 and 41 are preferably vertically aligned, and preferably the pairs 'thereof are spaced between adjacent bores 2l so as to provide on the key members 4l and 43 a series of flat surfaces 48 and 49, respectively, one of said fiat surfaces being over each of the bores so that indicia, such as numbers, as illustrated in Fig, 2, may be placed thereon to identify each of the bores and, consequently, the coupler member therein.

As illustrated in Fig. 5, a number of terminal blocks similar to the terminal block 2U may be readily and removably secured together to form a bank thereof. Fig. shows the terminal block 2li and an identical terminal block 20a in superimposed relation so that the key member 43 of the terminal block mates with a key member dla, identical with the key member 4I, there being grooves in the surface of the key member lila similar to the grooves 43 and which are adapted to mate with the grooves 41 to form cylindrical recesses. Clamping members 50 mate with the key members 43 and lila and are adapted to hold the terminal blocks 2U and 20a together by means oi pins 5l passing through holes 52 and the grooves in the key members 43 and Ma, the pins being frictionally held in the holes. When assembled, as shown in Fig. 5, this construction provides a compact and Convenient terminal block construction, and, as will be `apparent, as many terminal 'blocks as may be desired may be hooked together in this same fashion.

As best shown in Figs. 9 and 1G, the coupler member 22 is generally cylindrical in form, being provided with a longitudinal split 54 which extends the length of the coupler member. The coupler member 22 is preferably formed of resilient material, such as spring metal, so as to permit slight radial expansion and contraction. Adjacent each of its ends the coupler member 22 is provided with a semi-annular slot 55, each of which is adapted to receive the annular bulge 28 on the contact plug 23 or 24, as illustrated in Fig. l, to provide an additional snap locking means for holding the plugs in the coupler, al-

though the inclusion of these slots is not essential and they may be omitted if desired if a different type of plug is to be used. In the bottom of the coupler 22, locking fingers 5B and 5l extend out from the body of the coupler and are preferably cut and then pressed, as illustrated, being adapted to engage annular shoulders 58 and 59, respectively, formed by the juncture oi the bore 2| and the counterbores 32 and 33 of the terminal block 28. As will be understood, engagement of the locking fingers 56 and 51 with the annular shoulders 58 and 59 constitutes a locking means oi the invention, designed to rigidly retain the coupler 22 in the terminal block 2l). The coupler 22 is also provided with inwardly extending iingers 50 which are similarly cut from the body of the coupler and pressed inwardly, being adapted to engage irictionally plugs inserted into the coupler 22, the iingers Bil thus constituting retaining means for retaining the contact plugs frictionally in the coupler. As will be noted from Fig. l, the annular bulge 28 on the contact plug 23 is of slightly larger diameter than the internal diameter of the coupler 22, but since the coupler is formed of spring or resilient material, it may expand radially slightly to permit the entry of the plug thereinto, the bore 2l of the terminal block being suiciently large to Dermit such expansion.

An alternative form of coupler 62 is shown in Fig. 1l, which is generally similar to the coupler 22 but does not have the inwardly extending fingers @El thereof, and instead of the locking iingers 56 and 5l is provided with locking fingers 63 and 64 which are, in fact, tabs extending from the ends of the coupler 52 and bent back upon themselves to engage the annular shoulders 65 and 56, respectively, of the terminal block 61.

Figs. 13 and 14 show another alternative embodiment of the coupler construction, showing a terminal block 59 having a coupler member 10 therein, having two pairs of outwardly extending fingers 12 and i3, the pair 12 including fingers 12a and 12b, and the pair 13 including similar ngers. To form the fingers of the pair 12 and 13, it is preferable to make simple cuts in the body of the coupler 'lil and then to press the ingers outwardly to the positions as shown, the outer ends being slightly twisted laterally, as illustrated in Fig. 13, so as to engage annular shoulders 14 and l5, respectively, formed in the terminal block 38, when the coupler is assembled. The coupler 10 is also provided with inwardly projecting crimped shoulders 'it (which, for the purpose of illustration, are slightly exaggerated in size), designed to frictionally hold a plug inserted into the coupler.

Figs. 1 and 8 show a further alternative form of the invention having a terminal block 18 identical with the terminal block 2l] but preferably formed in two longitudinal halves 19 and 8|] which are glued or otherwise rigidly secured together. The terminal block 18 is provided with a bore 8| having a central annular groove 82 providing shoulders 83 and 84. A coupler element 85, generally similar to the preceding coupler elements, is provided in the bore 8l and has in its lower surface a depending iinger member 86 adapted to fit into the annular groove 82, the linger member Sii preferably being merely stamped out of the bottom of the coupler, and, as shown, being somewhat exaggerated in size to more clearly illustrate its construction. As will be understood, cooperation of the iinger member 86 in the groove 82 forms a locking means for re- 5 taining the coupler element 85 in the terminal block T8.

An alternative form of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 15 and 16, in which a terminal block 88, generally similar to the terminal block I8 of Fig. 7, is provided with a relatively wide shallow groove 89 in which engage finger meinbers 90 and 9i pressed out of a coupler 92, to rigidly retain the coupler Within the terminal block.

As Will be understood by those skilled in the art, the nger members 56, 51, 83, 64, 12, 73, 86, 90, and 9| have been illustrated in the drawing as having been bent to an exaggerated degree, solely for the purpose of illustration, and in actual practice the outward extension of these finger members relative to the respective couplers is relatively slight, being only sucient to catch and hold on the appropriate shoulder. It is also to be understood that although I have shown and described the couplers of my invention as being adapted to receive and hold in electrical Contact a pair of contact plugs, such as the plugs 23 and 24 of Fig. l, my couplers are equally adapted to receive and retain a single cylindrical plug inserted from one end of the coupler.

Although I have shown and described a number of embodiments of my invention, other variations and modifications thereof may be made Without departing from the spirit of my invention, and, accordingly, I do not intend to be limited by the particular embodiments disclosed, but desire to be aorded the full scope of the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. As an article of manufacture, an electrical terminal block having a plurality of transverse openings therein, each opening being provided with a pair of transversely spaced shoulders, the terminal block having on each side thereof a pair of parallel extending ribs spanning said openings, the terminal block having on one face thereof a longitudinally extending rectangular projection one side of which is inwardly bevelled all! 6 to form an acute angle with said face of the block.

2. As an article of manufacture, a terminal block having a transverse opening which is adapted to receive an electrical coupler therein, and having longitudinal ribs thereon which are flush With and form part of opposite surfaces of said block, respectively, said ribs spanning an end of said opening and extending transversely of said block beyond said end of said opening, said terminal block having on one of said surfaces thereof a longitudinal projection one side of which is inwardly beveled to form an acute angle with said surface.

RALPH S. THACKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 892,626 Selinger July 7, 1908 1,122,2-90 Mack Dec. 29, 1914 1,625,601 Goddard Apr. 19, 1927 2,016,708 Douglas Oct. 8, 1935 2,059,349 Hertner Nov. 3, 1936 2,071,713 Terrill Feb. 23, 1937 2,178,092 Werner Oct. 3l, 1939 2,224,902 Currie Dec. 17, 1940l 2,257,317 Wade Sept. 30, 1=941 2,303,384 Penfold Dec. 1, 1942 2,318,648 Penfold May 11, 1943 2,318,649 Penfold May 11, 1943 2,318,651 Penfold May 11, 1943 2,327,048 Joyce Aug. 17, 1943 2,342,711 Wade Feb. 29, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 214,988 Switzerland May 31, 1941 517,926 Germany Feb. 12, 1931 547,198 Great Britain Aug. 18, 1942 

